The impact of ConnectHER on Rozaria’s programs
Many words could describe Dr. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda’s spirit, but “tenacious” does her the most justice: It speaks to her dedication, drive and ability to inspire change and unite communities.
You could say it’s in her DNA: Her parents’ marriage represented a special union between two families who were vana Sahwira, “best of friends,” but this celebration was also shadowed by the antiquated practice of young, arranged marriages, a practice that would fuel much of her future work. In a past article, we shared that one in three girls in Zimbabwe is married before the age of 18, with rural areas seeing even higher rates. Through her own lived experience as a Zimbabwean native, Dr. Gumbonzvanda saw firsthand how detrimental child marriages are to the development of the youth, especially girls, and the longstanding impact it has on their communities.
This dying negative cultural practice of arranged marriages thrust these young people into marriage unprepared, young and without choice.
Dr. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda
To combat this cultural custom and in memoriam of her mother, Rozaria Marumisa, she founded the Rozaria Memorial Trust, a project centered around helping child brides in Zimbabwe reclaim their futures, regain their dignity and unleash their true potential. Since its inception in 2007, the Trust has provided girls with counseling, vocational training and education to further their development and confidence. In 2017, it expanded its offerings into leadership, mentorship and advocacy skill-building with Nhanga, an intergenerational feminist initiative established as a safe space for women and girls to discuss issues that affect them and find solutions within their dialogues.
2017 would be an impactful year for Dr. Gumbonzvanda: As she deepened her mother’s legacy, she furthered the one set by her father. Muzhanje Dizha, much like his daughter, was a visionary. Dissatisfied with continuing old traditions, he and his wife, Rozaria, moved away from their families and the lives they knew to better their children’s futures by becoming successful farmers. To do this, he needed a proper water source, so he created one. In a beautiful ode to her parents’ legacy, Dr. Gumbonzvanda’s The Blooming Purple Lily in the Pond shares the story of her family’s dam, the challenges they faced to create it and the triumph they felt when they succeeded.
In 1978, towards the end of the Zimbabwean War of Liberation (Rhodesian Bush War), her father died, and so began the demise of the dam. With fewer hands to help maintain it, upkeep proved difficult for her mother, but still, she dreamt, until her passing in 2006, for its revival. Eleven years later, the land left by Dr. Gumbonzvanda’s parents, including the dam, was designated to the Trust, and in 2022 — after a letter to ConnectHER’s Founder, Lila Igram, and months of preparation and labor — the dam was restored, and a dream came true.
And if there is a way, there you will find Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda.
We are incredibly honored to walk that way with her.
